Waiting For You
by Gemini1
Summary: While Heero struggles with his feelings for Relena, Duo discovers a link to his past. The Preventers are called into action on a most dangerous mission, is peace doomed?
1. Prologue

  
**A/N:**   
This is my first attempt at a Gundam Wing story, so please bear with me!   
I'm fiddling around with the facts here, but hopefully it won't be too far   
off base. This prologue is very important as it introduces some characters   
who will be vital to the story as it plays out. I skip around in time a lot,   
so please make sure you pay attention to the dates. I'm covering nearly 20   
years of time. The year, date and location are clearly marked, so you shouldn't   
have any problems. Let's see, what else? Oh, this is a 1XR, 2XH centric story.   
I don't know yet if Trowa and Quatre will make an appearance, but if they do,   
then they will be together. They are too cute! Wufei has a bit part, but I don't   
think I'll worry too much about him. That's all I can think of right now. Reviews   
are appreciated. Oh, and just for reference, remember that GW begins in AC 195, so   
that means my story starts 13 years before.   
Rated **R** for language. 

* * *

Waiting for You   
_Prologue_

* * *

**AC 182**   
_March 11_   
Earth Sphere Military Alliance HQ   
Western Eurasia Region 

* * *

  
Normally, a case of officer desertion generated little interest from the public. However, this case was different. The officer who had deserted happened to be the daughter of one of the Alliance's most powerful generals, but that was only a small part of the scandal. What had captured the attention of a large portion of the population was that this young woman, a highly decorated and respected medical officer, had deserted in order to elope with a colonist. A colonist who had recently been executed for bombing three supply vessels that had been en route to L2 with weapons and supplies for the Alliance troops.   
  
Because of the enormous interest in the case, the small courtroom that had been designated to hold her court martial was filled to capacity with civilians and military personnel alike. Some spectators were reduced to standing in the back or squatting in aisles or wherever there was space. Despite the record crowds, the room was oddly silent, lending the whole scene a surrealistic quality. The reason for the silence sat behind a heavily carved mahogany table on the dais. The General in charge of the court martial would tolerate little noise from the group and they were under orders to stay quiet or leave.   
  
Decked out in his full military uniform, complete with copious medals, General Liam Northcutt read from a thick file folder that contained all the details of the case he was about to try. He would honestly rather be on his private yacht or relaxing at home than sitting in the courtroom, about to pronounce a sentence on the daughter of a close friend. He frowned as he re-read the charges against her. They were serious. If it were any other person, they would be in front of the firing squad within the hour, which had been the fate of the other rebels arrested at the same time as General Ryan's daughter. But, her father would not allow his daughter to disgrace his name. She had been told to plead not guilty and claim that she had been kidnapped. The fact that she had willingly married and had a child with one of the rebels would not come up. General Ryan had seen to it that any proof of the existence of his grandson was destroyed. All Hannah Ryan had to do today was say she was innocent and the scandal could be contained.   
  
General Northcutt removed his glasses and motioned to the bailiff to open the doors and allow the accused to be escorted in. The moment the doors swung open, every spectator swiveled around to get a good look at General Ryan's rebellious young daughter. The television and print news outlets had all been given photos of the woman to use; photos that had been taken while she was still in service. They had seen a proud, upright young woman with long brown hair in a military approved chignon, dressed in her full military uniform and glaring at the camera with hard brown eyes, her mouth turned slightly down. The only thing about her that resembled those photos now was her uniform.   
  
Her long brown hair had been chopped short and her face was pale and drawn. Her brown eyes were no longer proud and defiant. She shuffled forward, her legs and arms in shackles, escorted by stern looking military police. She looked defeated and tired.   
  
The MPs walked her to the front of the room where she faced the General. She looked down at the floor, unable to meet the eyes of a man who had once been something like an uncle to her.   
  
The General cleared his throat and began. "Soldier, identify yourself."   
  
She whispered a reply, but no one could hear her.   
  
"Repeat that, soldier and louder this time." He commanded.   
  
"Dr. Hannah Ryan, sir." She said in a louder voice, her eyes still trained on the marble floor.   
  
"Your rank, soldier?"   
  
"Lieutenant Colonel, sir." She murmured.   
  
"Lieutenant Colonel Ryan, you are standing before me today charged with conduct unbecoming an officer, desertion from your post, conspiracy to commit terrorist acts, knowingly aiding those who committed terrorist acts and treason." He listed her offenses in a monotone. "How do you plead?"   
  
The broken woman before him seemed to hesitate. The General frowned down on her. It was supposed to be easy…she was supposed to say not guilty.   
  
"I asked you a question, soldier." He barked.   
  
A transformation seemed to take place before him as the woman came to a decision. She straightened and looked him in the eye, a little of her old spark visible in their depths.   
  
"Guilty on all counts, sir." She said in a clear, strong voice, so different from her earlier tone.   
  
"Excuse me?" He asked, unable to comprehend what she had just said. General Ryan had come to him the night before and assured him that Hannah had been persuaded to plead not guilty.   
  
"Guilty on all counts, sir. I willingly deserted my post to marry and have a child with a known terrorist and I knowingly helped him and his associates carry out their terrorist agenda." She said, her eyes daring him to condemn her to death with her comrades.   
  
The General's gag order on the spectators was unable to stop the waves of gasps and murmurs that came from the crowd at her words. One of the Alliance's most powerful generals had just been disgraced by his own daughter.   
  
General Northcutt regained some of his composure and glared at the young woman. He could not sentence her to death, even though she had just pleaded guilty. He sighed and laced his fingers together as a prop for his chin while he considered his options. The crowd, still whispering, waited tensely for his verdict. Finally, after what seemed like an eternity, he straightened in his chair and banged his gavel for silence.   
  
"Very well, Lieutenant Colonel. You are hereby dishonorably discharged from the Alliance and all your titles and privileges, including your medical license are no longer valid. Normally, in a case such as yours, the sentence for treason is death by firing squad, as you well know. However, this is a special case and certain facts must be taken into consideration." He paused to bang his gavel and once again silence the spectators. "I believe that the death of your husband and comrades must weigh heavily on you and as such, a more appropriate punishment will be for you to live knowing that you had a hand in their deaths. But, just in case you feel nothing for them, I also sentence you to seven years of hard labor at the Alliance's maximum security prison on Devil's Island. What we have failed to accomplish today will most probably be carried out by some of the island's more ruthless inmates." He finished his sentence with a small smirk and waved at the MPs to take her away.   
  
"Wait." She said and wrenched her arms away from her guards. The spectators tensed, waiting for the dénouement.   
  
General Northcutt frowned down on her from his perch. "What is it, Miss Ryan?" He asked irritably.   
  
"There is still the matter of my son. My mother has agreed to take custody…" She began, but was cut off.   
  
"Mrs. Ryan has rescinded that offer and you have been officially disowned by your family." The General growled. "As such, your son has been remanded into the custody of the Alliance, which has seen fit to send him to a children's home where hopefully, he will be broken of whatever nasty habits you and your now deceased husband instilled in him."   
  
Her eyes widened and she once again fought off the MPs. "You can't do that! He's innocent…" She began in a fury.   
  
"He is the son of a traitor and a terrorist. As far as the Alliance is concerned, he is just as guilty as you." General Northcutt said bitingly. He waved his hand at the MPs and they got a firm grip on the prisoner. She refused to budge and they were reduced to dragging her out of the courtroom, her screams of anger echoing off the marble walls. 

* * *

  
**AC 189**   
_April 12__(7 Years Later) _   
Devil's Island Prison Facility   
Infirmary 

* * *

  
If there was one thing that Hannah hated to do, it was inventory. She scowled darkly at the bottles of antiseptic as she swiped their barcodes with the small wand that sent the information back to her hand-held computer. She continued down the line, taking some comfort in the fact that this would be the last time she would have to do the irritating job. She was being released in three days. That though cheered her up considerably and her scowl was replaced by a small smile.   
  
She had just finished the antiseptic and was moving to the boxes of gauze when the infirmary door banged open and a guard marched in, dragging a prisoner behind her.   
  
"Where's the doctor?" The guard barked at Hannah.   
  
Hannah put down the small computer and turned to face the guard. "He took off early, as usual. He said something about a party…"   
  
The guard scowled. "That worthless piece of…" She stopped and sighed. "Well, you're good enough, I guess. This moron cut herself in the shop and bled all over the machinery. The Warden's mad as hell and would just as soon let her bleed to death, but we've reached our death quota for the month and any over would look bad." She pushed the prisoner towards Hannah. "Sew her up and deliver her back to me at the station."   
  
Hannah nodded and eyed the prisoner's wound. It seemed straight forward enough. The guard gave them both a final glare before turning on her heel and marching out of the infirmary.   
  
Hannah sighed and guided the other woman to the nearest cot. "Honestly, Natalia, when are you going to stop getting yourself in trouble?" She asked, with more amusement than anger in her tone. Natalia grinned and shrugged. Hannah rolled her eyes and turned to find the necessary implements to clean and bandage the wound.   
  
Both women were silent as Hannah worked, and in a few moments, Natalia's arm sported a fresh bandage.   
  
The small, dusky woman favored Hannah with a smile and hopped off the cot. "Now for the real reason for my visit, Doc." She said, calling Hannah by the nickname that had been forced on her by some of the inmates. She had acquired the hated moniker because the actual prison doctor, a drunken man ironically named Cleaver, realized that he could spend more time pursuing his hobbies if he left Hannah to work the infirmary.   
  
Hannah pulled a face. "Don't call me that, Natalia. And what do you mean by real reason?"   
  
The smaller woman only smiled broader. "Me and the girls, we wanted to thank you for takin' care of us better than that asshole Cleaver. So, here I am with a thank you present." She reached into the pocket of her prison-issued jumper and pulled out a small scrap of paper, handing it to Hannah with great pomp. Hannah arched a quizzical eyebrow at her friend and unfolded the paper. There were only two lines written on it in a hasty scrawl. It read:   
_L2 Colony_   
_Children's Charity Home_   
"What is this?" She asked carefully, though she already knew the answer.   
  
"We didn't know what to get you…but Dottie down on the second floor came up with this. She said that you had a kid that the Alliance took away and that you didn't know where he was. So, we found him for you. It's strange, though. Why would they put him in a colony orphanage?" Natalia asked.   
  
Hannah's shaking hand rose to swipe at the tears that were beginning to course down her face. "His father was from L2, and I guess they'd rather have him there than on Earth, reminding people that he existed." Her answer puzzled Natalia, but the small woman didn't ask what she meant.   
  
After a few moments of silence, Hannah moved to wrap Natalia in a strong hug. "Thank you…you don't know what this means to me…"   
  
"No prob, Doc. Just stay out of trouble on the outside, ok?" 

* * *

**AC 189**   
_May 1 (3 Weeks Later) _   
L2 Colony   
Children's Charity Home 

* * *

  
Hannah couldn't believe her eyes. She closed them and counted to ten before she looked again, but no matter how many times she did that, the scene remained the same. All that was left of the Children's Charity Home was a single wall surrounded by much debris. She picked her way through the shattered glass and crumbling brick to try and figure out what exactly had happened. She scraped her fingernails along the wall and thought about the rest of the colony. It was in shambles as well. War and disease had devastated the once prosperous community. The horrible knot of fear that had settled in her belly the moment she set eyes on the colony unraveled and she did as well, sliding to the ground and sobbing hysterically. Her last reserves of strength were gone. She didn't have anything left. 

* * *

**AC 189**   
_October 23 (5 months later)_   
L2 Colony   
Palmer's Motel 

* * *

  
She drained the last of the beer from the bottle and tossed it into the growing pile by her bed. She ignored the clinking of breaking glass and rolled to the other side of the bed to see if there were any full bottles left. There weren't. She sighed and flopped back onto the mattress, covering her eyes with one hand. She was dreading the moment when the liquor wore off and her memories assaulted her again. She hated thinking about anything these days, which was why she had spent the past few months completely shitfaced. It had gotten increasingly more difficult to face life sober the longer she went without finding her son. After three months of searching L2 for any hint of his existence, questioning every brown-haired and blue-eyed boy she saw on the street, beating down doors and interrogating practically everyone on the colony, she had found that being drunk was the only way she could live with herself and her ever growing hopelessness. She didn't feel as pathetic when she was drunk.   
  
A knock on the door woke her out of her stupor. She glanced at the date on her watch and noted that rent wasn't due for another week. She didn't know anyone and she sure as hell wasn't expecting a visitor.   
  
"Go away! You've got the wrong room!" She yelled.   
  
"Hannah Ryan?" A man's voice asked from behind the cheap plywood door.   
  
She uncovered her eyes and looked warily at the door. "What do you want with her?" She yelled.   
  
"I'm a friend." The voice replied.   
  
She snorted. "She doesn't have any friends. Now go away!" She growled at her visitor.   
  
There was nothing but silence from the other side of the door so she assumed that she had been successful in getting rid of whoever it was.   
  
A few seconds later, the knob popped away from the wood and landed on the carpeted floor with a muffled thump and the door swung open.   
  
The bright light blinded her and she shielded her eyes with her hand as she rose from the bed. "What the hell is this?!" She yelped and promptly fell onto the floor.   
  
A tall figure loomed briefly in the doorway before striding over to stand by her. "If you're not Hannah Ryan then you look a hell of a lot like her." He said cheerfully.   
  
She blinked up at him stupidly. "Wha…? Who are you?"   
  
"The name's Shiro." He said and offered her a hand. She took it warily and stood on wobbly legs.   
  
"Shiro? I don't know you…" She said, completely confused. She snatched her hand away from him and almost fell over again. He caught her deftly, and, ignoring her protests, held her upright.   
  
"No, you don't know me, but I have a proposition for you." He said, looking straight into her slightly unfocused eyes. "But first, why don't we get you a shower, some clean clothes and some food. Maybe we could even get a few cups of coffee in you so we can talk."   
  
She pushed him away and stumbled backwards into the wall. "What the fuck are you talking about? I don't know you…"   
  
He sighed. "We've already established that. Listen, Hannah, I want to offer you your life back, or at least something very much like it. But I don't want you to make any decisions until you're sober enough to consider my offer."   
  
She stared at him with a slightly surprised expression on her face. "My life?" She whispered.   
  
He nodded. "I heard that once upon a time you were a damn good soldier and doctor. I have a hunch that you could be again, if you let me help you."   
  
She arched an eyebrow. "What's in it for you?" She asked her voice heavy with suspicion.   
  
He smiled. "The services of a damn good soldier and doctor."   
  
She mulled over his request for a moment before answering. "All right. I'll hear you out. But over dinner, okay? I'm starving." 

* * *

**AC 197**   
_May 9_ _(8 Years Later) _   
L1 Colony   
Apartment of Hannah Ryan 

* * *

  
**5: 37 a.m. **   
The phone rang shrilly, over and over, ignoring Hannah's pleas to leave her alone. Finally, she rolled over and snatched the phone off the cradle. "What?" She grunted into the receiver.   
  
"Morning, Hannah." A warm, inviting voice from the other end seeped into her sleep heavy brain.   
  
"Shiro?" Hannah blinked and sat up, rubbing her eyes with her free hand to wake herself up.   
  
"Yup, listen, how soon can you get to L3?" He asked.   
  
"The colony?" She was still half asleep and having trouble following him.   
  
A sigh crackled over the phone line. "I know you're not a morning person, babe, but this is important." He said, sounding aggrieved.   
  
"Sorry, sorry. What do you want me to go there for?" She replied, feeling somewhat foolish and slightly more awake.   
  
"Can't tell you." He replied evasively.   
  
"Shit, Shiro, I'm not about to haul ass to L3, especially at…" here she paused to look at her alarm clock to verify the time, "6 o'clock in the fucking morning without a damn good reason." She growled.   
  
His warm chuckle once again invaded her ears. "Calm down, babe. Listen, you ever hear of Relena Peacecraft?"   
  
She sighed. "I haven't been living in a cave, Shiro."   
  
"Well, if you don't get some of your boys and get down to L3 in the next 6 hours, she'll be dead."   
  



	2. Chapter 1- News from the front

Chapter 1   
**AC 197 **   
_May 10_   
Preventer's HQ   
Earth 

* * *

  
**9:15 a.m.**   
  
Duo Maxwell exploded into the Preventer's main briefing room, a scowl etched on his normally cheerful face. "Where the hell is Lady Une?" He asked the room's sole occupant irritably.   
  
Heero Yuy looked up from his morning cup of coffee and raised an eyebrow. "I don't know." He replied. "What are you doing here, Mawell?"   
  
Duo huffed angrily and plopped down in the nearest chair. "Hell if I know. Lady Une called me last night and told me to get on the first transport to earth I could find, so, I haul ass down here but now no one knows what's going on and I can't find Lady Une. I had to drop everything to get here, you know? And Hilde's pissed because I promised her we'd go on a vacation…"   
  
Heero tuned out Duo's incessant babbling and stared into his coffee cup. There had to be a problem, a big one since Lady Une had felt compelled to call Duo back into service. Duo worked on and off for the Preventers. Mostly, though, he preferred to stay on L2 and work in his salvage yard with Hilde. Something was wrong.   
  
Before he could dwell on the matter fully, the door burst open again and Lady Une rushed into the room. "Turn on the TV!" She snapped at Duo, who was closest to the set. He looked startled but complied, reaching over to flip the set on. A newscaster's voice filled the room.   
  
_"…there is no official word yet from either the family or the government. To repeat, Vice Foreign Minister Relena Peacecraft has been shot in an apparent assassination attempt. Minister Peacecraft was visiting L3 as part of a goodwill tour through the colonies to…"_ The newscaster paused and placed a hand over her earpiece to listen to something she was being told. _"I have just been informed that Miss Peacecraft has not been taken to any hospitals in the area, she seems to have disappeared…" _   
  
"This wasn't supposed to happen. They said she would be safe." Lady Une said angrily and tossed a folder onto the desk.   
  
"We knew about this?" Heero's voice was dangerously low. Both Lady Une and Duo looked at him with alarm. His face was pale and his mouth was drawn into a tight line.   
  
"We just found out about it. There wasn't enough time to mobilize..." Lady Une replied carefully.   
  
"Where is she now?" Heero asked.   
  
Lady Une plucked at the folder and could not meet his eyes. "I don't know exactly. I was told that someone was going to be there to protect her, but I was not told anything else."   
  
"You don't know where she is? She could be in danger! Who have you been communicating with?" Heero was getting very close to losing his control.   
  
"She's not in danger. I've been communicating with someone named Shiro. He's been very helpful to us in the past and he had people on standby until we could come in. Whoever those people are, they have Relena now and they are taking care of her, I'm sure of it. Otherwise, she'd be dead for certain."   
  
"Find out where she is. Now." Heero was beyond being reasonable. Lady Une glanced over at Duo and then back at the angry young man.   
  
"You'll have to wait until I find out more, Heero." She said evenly.   
  
Wufei's entrance interrupted Heero's next comment. "Lady Une, there's some woman on the communicator and she insists on talking to you." He said, clearly irritated.   
  
"Maybe this is what we were waiting for." Lady Une said carefully and gestured for the boys to follow her.   
  
The woman on the communicator had blood spattered on her shirt and in her long brown hair. She wasted no time on pleasantries or introductions. "We have Relena. She was shot. I would have contacted you earlier, but we had to rush her into surgery." She reached off screen and produced a towel from somewhere to wipe some of the mess off. The large dark stains unnerved the group.   
  
"Is Relena okay?" Heero addressed the woman directly. She looked up from her ruined shirt and nodded.   
  
"We've stabilized her. One of the bullets nicked a lung and it collapsed. The other shattered her arm. She lost a lot of blood and we'll have to do additional surgery to repair her arm. We'll probably have to fuse some metal to the parts of the bone that can't be reconstructed." She mused.   
  
"So she'll recover?" He asked.   
  
The woman peered at his image on her screen and nodded again. "I didn't get your name, kid." She said.   
  
"Heero Yuy." He replied testily.   
  
"Really? You don't look dead." She said with a laugh. She chuckled for a moment at her own joke and then yelled a response to someone off screen. "I've got to go, Shiro's waiting for a report. You guys have the number where you can find me. My name's Hannah Ryan, by the way. I'll keep you updated on any changes in her condition." She waved a still slightly bloody hand and then the monitor switched off.   
  
"What a strange woman." Duo offered. Wufei nodded emphatically, but he was the only one who responded. Both Lady Une and Heero appeared lost in thought. 


	3. Chapter 2- Guilt

Rated R for language  
AC 197  
May 11  
2:30a.m.  
Apartment of Heero Yuy  
Earth  
Heero shifted restlessly in his bed, a frown etched on his face. He was trapped in a nightmare fueled by guilt and fear and he couldn't wake up.  
  
"Are you sure you won't reconsider, Heero? With you as my head of security, I'd feel completely safe." Relena held his hand in both of hers and refused to relinquish it.  
He looked down at the ground, at their shoes, but he would not look at her face. If he did, he was afraid he might cave.  
"You have very skilled bodyguards, Relena. You are safe." He replied in a monotone. "And I already accepted Lady Une's offer."  
"It's more than that, Heero." She whispered.  
He yanked his hand away from hers. "I don't know what you're talking about." He hissed.  
"You know what I mean." Her hands, deprived of his, chose to settle themselves on his arm.  
He brushed her hands away from his arm and stepped back a few paces. "I have no idea what you are talking about, Relena." He said coldly. "And I have no interest in finding out." He heard her whisper his name as he turned and walked away, and he had to steel himself to keep going. It was for the best, no matter how much it hurt them both.  
  
The dream shifted, he saw Relena lying in a pool of blood and realized with a jolt of horror that he was the one who had shot her, like he had always threatened to do. The gun felt warm and real in his hand. Her blue eyes held his, a look of accusation in them. "Why?" Her voice was a pained whimper. "I trusted you. I loved you. Why?" Before he could answer her, she closed her eyes and died.  
  
"I'm sorry…I'm sorry…" He cried out to her, dropping to his knees before her and taking her limp body into his arms.  
  
"Heero…Heero, man, wake up!" Strong hands shook his shoulders and he came out of his nightmare, covered with sweat and tangled in his sheets. Duo, clad in sweatpants and a t-shirt was shaking him awake. Heero looked up at him blankly for a moment.  
  
"Man, are you okay? You were yellin', and I could hear you all the way from the couch." Duo released him but continued to hover over him like a worried mother.  
  
Heero ran a slightly shaky hand through his hair. "I'm fine, just a bad dream." He said firmly.  
  
Duo didn't look convinced. "Are you sure?"  
  
Heero nodded.  
  
"She's gonna be okay, Heero. That doctor chick called us a couple of hours ago and said she was still okay. Don't worry." Duo said carefully.  
  
"I'm aware of that, and I'm fine." Heero made a move to dismiss his friend.  
  
Duo sighed. "If you're sure…"  
"Yes!" Heero snapped.  
  
"All right, but if you want to talk or anything…I'm on the couch, ok?" Duo said as he paused in the doorway.  
  
"Fine." Heero said. The moment his door closed, he slumped back down onto his mattress. Maybe, if he had agreed to head up her security team, she wouldn't be lying in a hospital bed somewhere with two bullet holes in her. Maybe, if he hadn't been such a coward, he would have had the opportunity to figure out what exactly it was about her that made his heart ache. He sighed. Sleep would not come back that night.  
  
That same night, Preventer's HQ  
  
Hannah Ryan's entire life history was plastered on Lady Une's computer screen. She smirked in triumph. She knew that woman's name had sounded familiar. Hannah Ryan, the disgraced daughter of General Marcus Ryan. She shook her head. Why on earth would anyone allow her to perform delicate surgery on an important diplomat? Her medical license had been revoked years ago, and she had been dismissed for treason, not exactly a sterling resume for someone working in her current capacity.  
  
She dialed a number seemingly from memory, not bothering to turn on her view screen. Shiro never had his on, anyway. He picked up on the fourth ring and greeted her pleasantly, not seeming to be bothered by the fact that it was extremely late at night.  
  
"Lady Une, what can I do for you? Has Hannah not called in?" He asked, smoothly.  
  
"She did, two hours ago. But that's not why I called." Lady Une began. "I really called to ask you why the hell you trusted Relena to that woman when you know she's not allowed to practice medicine or even be a mile from a military base."  
  
Shiro chuckled. "Now, now, Lady Une, sheathe your claws. Hannah is a perfectly competent physician and surgeon. I would trust her with my life. I have, in fact, several times. She'll take good care of Relena."  
  
"Is that the only reason you sent her? I don't think I remember her doing other missions with us, in fact I know she hasn't. Was your decision in any way influenced by her rather impressive military pedigree?" Lady Une asked.  
  
"You are a shrewd woman. I can see why Trieze trusted you so much." Shiro said warmly.  
  
"Cut the bullshit and explain." She said testily.  
  
"Her brother, Brigadier General Lucas Ryan and a few of his ilk might be involved in this. I don't know if bringing Hannah into this will be of any help, but it never hurts to have a stacked deck, don't you think?" Shiro asked jovially.  
  
"How do you know she won't betray us to her brother, or maybe she already has…?"  
  
"To tell you the truth, Lady Une, Hannah hates her brother. She would sooner cut off her own arm than help him out." He replied easily. "I trust her, and I hope you will, too."  
  
Lady Une sighed. "I'll try."  
  
"Good. Listen, I'm glad you called me; I wanted to tell you that Hannah should be contacting you soon with her location. She's waiting until Relena is stabilized. Once she's comfortable, she'll tell you where to find them. I'm sure your boys are chomping at the bit and want to be useful." Shiro said.  
  
"These precautions seem a bit excessive. Is Relena really in this much danger?" Lady Une asked.  
  
"It is always wise to err on the side of caution, don't you think? Somebody wanted her dead so badly that they risked almost everything to get to her. I want her out of sight until we get this sorted out. By the way, have you contacted her family yet?"  
  
"I talked to her brother earlier. He naturally wants to know where she is."  
  
"Well, unfortunately, I think it would be best not to tell him, given his military connections. He probably isn't a problem, but there could be a leak in his office." Shiro said firmly.  
  
"I understand. He will be kept up to date on her condition, but that is all." Lady Une replied.  
  
"Good. Well, it's late and I have an early meeting. I'll talk to you tomorrow." He switched off his communicator before she could reply.  
  
  
AC 197  
Preventer's HQ  
Earth  
May 11  
10:34 a.m.  
Lady Une glanced at her watch with irritation and tapped an elegantly manicured finger on the polished wooden surface of the conference table. "She's late." She said, to no one in particular.  
  
Sitting across from her, Heero, Duo, Wufei and Sally Po waited, each caught up in their own thoughts.  
  
Finally, at 10:36, the phone rang. Lady Une picked it up and flipped a switch that put the caller on the speaker and the view screen.  
  
Hannah Ryan was nursing a large cup of coffee and took a swig before addressing the group. "Sorry I'm late." She said cheerfully. "We had trouble establishing a connection. This old hunk of junk is always malfunctioning somewhere." A loud thump alerted her listeners that she had kicked something.  
  
"What can you tell us?" Lady Une asked brusquely.  
  
Hannah took another deep drink of coffee. "I'm sure you guys want to come help us, and believe me, we could use it. We're mostly a medical team, we're not really equipped to deal with combat…" She trailed off and squinted into the screen. "Hold on." She disappeared and they could hear some loud thuds and some cursing. After a long moment, she reappeared. "Sorry about that. My view screen stopped working. As it is now, you're all a bunch of colorful blurs. Stupid ship…"  
  
"Where are you now?" Heero interrupted, irritated with her babbling.  
  
"Hmm, the surly brown and green blur must be Heero Yuy." She said, cheerfully. "Hold on and I'll send you the coordinates of our ship." She reached off camera and the sound of fingers hitting a keyboard indicated that she was doing just that.  
  
"You're in a ship?" Duo asked, slightly surprised. "I thought you'd be in a hospital somewhere. I mean, Relena's injuries sounded pretty serious…"  
  
"Who's that?" She asked, peering into the camera.  
  
"Duo Maxwell."  
  
"Ah, well, Duo Maxwell, I happen to be on a medical ship. It may fly like shit but the hospital facilities are actually quite nice. Besides, it's harder to find Relena if we're flying around. Moving targets and all that." Hannah replied.  
  
"I see." Duo said, looking impressed, which was lost on Hannah, since her screen didn't pick up such details.  
  
Heero sat himself in front of the room's computer and hit a few keys. Beside the projected image of Hannah, a map appeared. A tiny red dot indicated the location of the ship, the Ryouzai.  
  
"We can't stay here too long, so I'd suggest that you haul ass up here. Once you guys are on the ship, then I'll fill you in on what we've managed to find out so far. I know this entire cloak and dagger operation probably seems stupid, but Shiro feels that given who we may be up against, it's warranted." She paused and then slapped her forehead as if suddenly remembering something. "Oh, and I saw Relena's brother, the former Zechs Marquise on television this morning…will one of you drop word to him that it's not the colonies who are trying to kill his sister? The last thing we all need is another god damned war up here. Whoever is behind this, they're definitely earth bound." Hannah drained her coffee cup and signaled to someone off screen. A disembodied hand reached into the picture and took her mug. "Add more sugar this time, Mike, because otherwise this shit isn't drinkable." She said to the owner of the hand. Ignoring the grumbles of the offended Mike, she turned her attention back to the meeting. "I'll see you guys later, and be careful. Remember, loose lips sink ships." She laughed at her quip and flipped off her view screen.  
  
"I know I said it before, but that is a strange woman." Duo said with a smile. "I kinda like her."  
  
"You would." Wufei grumbled.  
  
Lady Une held up a hand to silence Duo's retort. "Enough. Heero, you and Duo will immediately go up to the vessel. Wufei, I need you and Sally to get a hold of Zechs and fill him in. Remember, do not tell him where the ship is. There may be a leak in his organization. After you've talked to Zechs, then I want you to up there and act as an escort for the Ryouzai. I'll find you if I need you. Lethal force is authorized." She stood and nodded at them. "Dismissed."  
  
The group was silent as they exited the room. 


	4. Chapter 3- Ryouzai

Rated R for language   
  
  
May 11   
11:15 p.m.   
Space outside of L3 colony   
  
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Heero hit the button that opened up a channel to the scarred old ship that hovered above him.   
"Ryouzai, this is Preventer 1, requesting permission to dock." He said.   
  
"Preventer 1, what is your clearance code?" A voice crackled over the receiver.   
  
Heero glanced down at the clipboard he had balanced on one knee. "Ryouzai, please be advised that the clearance code is gekizai."   
  
There was a pause and then the voice came back. "Very well, Preventer 1, please proceed."   
  
Heero cut the connection and began maneuvering his craft to connect with the larger ship.   
  
"Hey, Heero, what does the name of this ship mean?" Duo asked curiously.   
  
"Good medicine." Heero replied, his mind more on aligning the portal than with answering Duo's question.   
  
"And the clearance code?" Duo persisted.   
  
Heero was silent for a moment, until the ships thumped together and the airlock between them whooshed into place. "It has two meanings. Depending on use, it could either mean powerful medicine or a violent poison." He said, unbuckling himself from his seat and making his way to the door. He touched a small green button and the door hissed open.   
  
"Cool." Duo replied and bounded out of his seat.   
  
An older man, battle scarred and weary looking with shaggy gray hair and a beard to match, was waiting for them on the other side. "Welcome aboard the Ryouzai, gentlemen. My name is Mike." He extended his rough hand and gave both Duo's and Heero's a solid pumping. "Doc wanted to meet you herself, but there was a problem in the engine room and she had to go down there."   
  
"Doc?" Duo asked, arching an eyebrow.   
  
"Dr. Ryan, you know, Hannah. I wouldn't call her Doc, though. She hates it. Only myself and a few select others can get away with calling her that." Mike grinned wickedly.   
  
"I'll remember that." Duo said with a smile.   
  
Mike smiled back and gave them a once over. "God damn, how old are you two?" He asked curiously.   
  
"17." Heero answered quietly.   
"Same here." Duo replied.   
  
"Shit. I've got warts older than you." Mike said, rubbing the back of his head.   
  
"That's disgusting Mike!" An amused female voice accused. A slender woman with dark red hair braided into pigtails and startling gray eyes walked up to the group. She looked both of the boys up and down with an appraising air. "Not bad, sadly too young for my tastes, though." She said, a predatory grin forming on her full lips.   
  
Both Duo and Heero fidgeted under her gaze.   
  
She laughed suddenly and held out her hand. "Sorry, how rude of me. Here I am, checking you boys out and I don't even know your names! Mine's Ellen. I'm the Ryouzai's chief engineer." She shook both their hands and committed their names to memory.   
  
"Did you fix the problem?" Mike asked her, for the moment ignoring the two pilots.   
  
Ellen rolled her eyes. "Sort of. I won't really be able to fix it until we get better parts. I was hoping to get some while we were on leave…"   
  
"But then we had to take off." Mike finished for her. Ellen nodded.   
  
"It'll hold, for now." She said.   
  
"Where's Doc? I'm sure these guys want to talk with her." Mike said, waving a hand in their direction.   
  
"She wanted to check on Relena before she met them." Ellen said and then turned to Heero. "She told me to take you guys to the bridge." She said.   
  
He nodded. Ellen favored the two visitors with a dazzling smile and began leading them in the direction of the bridge.   
  
The bridge looked as ancient and careworn as the rest of the ship. Wires hung exposed from the ceiling and panels were missing from the walls. Battered seats indicated where the navigators, engineers, radio operators and the captain sat; only one of the seats was currently occupied. The bespectacled young man who sat behind the navigation console rose when they entered the room and smiled nervously at the visitors.   
  
"You must be from the Preventers?" He asked, swiping some of his dark blonde hair from his face. He looked about twenty-five, though the beard he sported made him look slightly older. "My name's Eric." He didn't shake their hands, but returned to his seat as soon as they returned the greeting.   
  
"Pardon the mess." Ellen said sheepishly, her hand gesturing at the room. "We were in the middle of overhauling this old heap when the call came."   
  
Duo and Heero nodded, not sure what else they were supposed to say.   
  
They were spared having to answer when the door slid open and a preoccupied looking Hannah rushed into the room.   
  
"Sorry I couldn't meet you…" Her greeting faltered as she got a good look at the boys. "Holy shit." She whispered, her eyes traveling over Duo's face. Her face, meanwhile, drained of all color.   
  
"Doc? Are you okay?" Mike asked, rushing to her side.   
  
She closed her eyes and counted to ten before opening them again. "Sorry." She said, regaining some of her composure.   
  
Duo glanced over at Heero, who shrugged.   
  
"You are Heero." She said after a moment, pointing a finger at him. Heero nodded. "And who might you be?" She asked Duo carefully.   
  
He raised an eyebrow. "Duo Maxwell." He replied. "Are you okay, Dr. Ryan? I'm not really a priest, if that's what worried you…" He said, his hand rising to indicate his priest's collar.   
  
She shook her head. "No, no. You just bear a remarkable resemblance to someone I knew once. It was just surprising…after all these years…" She trailed off and seemed vague for a moment.   
  
"Doc?" Mike placed his hands on her shoulders and squeezed gently. Both Eric and Ellen stepped close to her, their concern evident. It was obvious that her crew had great affection for her.   
  
She shook her head. "I'm fine, Mike. I just need to get a few hours of sleep." She shrugged off his hands and turned back to the pilots, not able to look directly at Duo. "Sorry you had to see that, boys. I'm just tired is all. We've been running around non-stop since we grabbed Relena." Her tone turned brusque. "Shiro sent me some stuff he wanted you to look at. I'll take you to our meeting room." She turned and indicated they should follow.   
  
"How is Relena doing?" Heero asked as they walked down the narrow hallway.   
  
"She's fine. In fact, in a few days, she should be stable enough for me to do that surgery on her arm." Hannah said, without turning around.   
  
"Is she awake?" Heero asked.   
  
"Not yet. She probably won't be for a while." Hannah paused in front of a door and hit the red button on the wall. The metal slid back soundlessly and she led them into a small conference room. "The files Shiro wants you to review are here," she indicated a computer console on the far side of the room. "Now, if you boys don't mind, I am in serious need of some sleep. If you need anything, just hit this button-it leads to the bridge-and whoever's there will help you." She walked to the door, but paused before leaving the room. "I'll take you to see Relena when I wake up, ok?" Her eyes skipped over Heero and rested on Duo. She ran a hand over her face and forced a smile. "See you in a while." The door slid shut behind her, leaving them alone.   
  
"I wonder what about me upset her so much?" Duo asked as he flopped into a chair.   
  
Heero shrugged. "I can name several things about you that piss me off, Maxwell, but given the fact that she's never met you before, I can't say what her problem was."   
  
Duo made a face at him. "She said I looked like someone…I wonder who?"   
  
"Never mind. Let's see what this Shiro guy sent us."   
  
Hannah rushed down the hallways, praying she wouldn't bump into anyone. Luck was with her and she made it to her small room without meeting a soul. As soon as the door shut, she leaned against it and slid to the cold floor. Resting her head back against the metal door, she tried to reason with herself. Duo Maxwell did not look like Jack. She was tired, she needed sleep. "Just wait, Hannah." She whispered to herself. "You'll see him in the morning and he will look completely different. He won't look like Jack." She sighed and ran her hand over her face again. "You're just going crazy, that's all."   
  
3:14 a.m.   
  
"Explain this to me again?" Duo asked, rubbing his forehead in exhaustion.   
  
Heero sighed.   
  
"Hey, I'm sorry if I'm a little slow on the uptake today. It's three in the goddamned morning and I haven't slept in a while. So, just fucking humor me and explain it again." Duo snapped.   
  
Heero raised an eyebrow and turned back to the computer screen. "Basically, there is a group of people out there who hope to bring down the United Earth Sphere and profit from the wars that would inevitably follow. Killing Relena on the colonies would spark the same reaction that the assassination of her father did a few years back."   
  
"War between the colonies and earth." Duo muttered. "The same old shit, different channel."   
  
"Actually, the channel hasn't changed either." Heero said. "We just failed to completely eliminate them last time."   
  
Yawning, Duo rose from his seat and stretched. "Let's go get some sleep, man. I'm about to keel over."   
  
Heero nodded and shut off the computer. "Do you recall where we were told to sleep?" He asked.   
  
Duo scratched his head for a moment. "I think Ellen said five doors down." He said.   
  
"Sounds right. Let's get some sleep."   
  
  
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Gundam Wing is property of Sotsu Agency, Sunrise, and TV Asahi. All rights reserved. I claim no ownership. 


	5. Chapter 4-Visiting

May 12  
Ryouzai  
8:00 a.m.   
  
Duo stumbled out of bed, noting with irritation that Heero was already gone. "Stupid perfect soldier…" He muttered.  
The door to the room slid open and Heero peered in. "Hurry up, Duo. Breakfast is being served and you're the last one up." He said brusquely.   
  
"Yeah, whatever, Mom." Duo said, his voice dripping with sarcasm. "Where's the bathroom?"   
  
"Two doors down, on your right. And cafeteria is at the end of the hallway. Hurry up." He turned on his heel and walked quickly down the hall.   
  
Duo flipped him off.   
  
"Is he up?" Mike asked Heero as he settled at the long metal table with what might have resembled food.   
  
"Sort of." Heero replied and pushed the white mass on his plate around with his fork. "What is this, exactly?"   
  
"Grits. A traditional food mostly eaten in the Southern United States." A voice replied. Hannah plopped down next to him and smiled warmly, evidently amused by his confusion. "It's ground up dried corn cooked until mushy, basically. You can eat it in different ways, depending on preference. Mike likes his with salt and butter, for instance. I, on the other hand, prefer it with butter and maple syrup."   
  
He raised an eyebrow. "Ground corn?" He poked at the mass with his fork again.   
  
"It's filling, healthy, and most importantly, cheap. Try it, it's not bad. But don't eat it plain because it's really bland." She replied.   
  
"Hence all the doctoring." Heero said.   
  
"You got it." She winked at him.   
  
He shrugged and reached for the salt and butter.   
  
Duo trudged into the room and made a beeline for the coffee machine, where Ellen was busy pouring herself her third cup of the morning. She saw him coming and had a mug ready for him when he reached her. Handing him the cup, she issued a warning.   
  
"Like everything we serve here, Duo, the coffee requires massive tampering. Try some sugar and cream, you'll regret it if you don't." Ellen smiled seductively and handed him a few packets of sugar, letting her fingers brush across his in a slightly suggestive manner. Duo blushed and immediately turned his attention to the coffee.   
  
"Ellen, quit flirting with him. He's young enough to be your kid." Mike grumbled around a mouthful of grits.   
  
"Not likely, Mikey." She replied sweetly. "I'm 28 and he's 17. You do the math."   
"You've been 28 for how many years now?" Mike retorted.   
  
The two continued to argue back and forth, much to the amusement of the people still eating their breakfast. Heero noted several crew members who he had not yet been introduced to. He turned his attention back to Hannah to ask her about them, but stopped.   
She was staring at Duo with an unreadable expression. After a moment, though, she seemed to shake off whatever it was that had bothered her. She rose from the table and deposited her barely touched plate in a large metal bin that was nearly full to the brim with discarded breakfast dishes.   
  
"Mike, when they're done, bring them to the infirmary." She said quietly. He nodded.   
Heero watched her leave out of the corner of his eye. She paused at the door and stared for a moment at Duo, who was asking Eric about the grits. He noted that for a fleeting moment, her expression was pained. But it was only for a moment. Sensing she was being watched, she frowned and walked quickly out the door. Heero glanced over at Duo, who was now pouring a large amount of maple syrup onto his grits. What, he wondered, was it about Duo that upset her so much?   
  
  
Twenty minutes later, Mike deposited Heero in front of the infirmary doors. Duo opted not to go with him. It had not been so long ago that Hilde had lain in a hospital bed, near death. He preferred not to revisit that rather painful memory, instead he had followed Ellen back to the engine room with an offer to help where he could and maybe pry some information out of the talkative redhead.   
  
The metal door slid back soundlessly when Heero touched the small red button.  
His eyes widened when the room came into view. Hannah had not been kidding when she praised her ship's facilities. His brow furrowed as he pondered why a ship that seemed inches away from the scrap heap would have such an impressive facility. When Hannah approached a moment later, he asked her.   
  
She laughed and stuck her hands into the pockets of the white lab coat she only wore when in the infirmary. "Would you ever imagine finding this here?" She asked, rhetorically. "The beauty of this ship is that is allows us to fly around virtually unnoticed."   
  
He raised an eyebrow. "Impressive." He murmured, wondering why the ship had to remain unnoticed all the time.   
"Where's your friend?" She asked casually.   
"He doesn't like hospitals." Heero replied, checking her reaction. She seemed relieved.   
  
She cleared her throat and gestured in the direction of a wall of curtains. "You want to see her?"   
  
He nodded.   
  
She led Heero into a smaller room that was sectioned off with curtains.  
Lying on the bed, looking pale and wasted, was Relena. Machines beeped around her, monitoring her heart and brain. Wires and tubes attached themselves to her arm and chest like parasites and another tube disappeared into her nose. Her left arm was wrapped in a cast from elbow to wrist.   
  
Heero stared at her and felt his stomach drop. She looked so fragile. He stepped up to the side of her bed and looked down on her. He could see the blue veins under her translucent skin and took a small comfort in the steady rise and fall of her chest. Unbidden, his hand reached out and gently stroked her hair, which fanned out from her head like a halo. Too many emotions to untangle left him feeling weak and tired. He wanted nothing more than to leave this small room and erase the image of her lying there so helpless from his mind. This wasn't Relena. She was too strong, too stubborn…  
  
A warm hand squeezed his shoulder and brought him out of his trance. He looked over and realized that it was Hannah's hand.   
  
"It looks much worse than it is, Heero." She said, softly. "She'll need some time, but she will be fine."   
"Why hasn't she regained consciousness?" He whispered, his eyes drifting back to Relena.   
  
"She has, several times, in fact. But we've kept her sedated so that she won't pull the stitches in her chest. I wanted to give them an opportunity to heal a little." Hannah looked down at her patient and brushed a strand of hair from the girl's wan face. "She's the same age as you, isn't she?" She asked Heero.   
  
He nodded.   
  
Hannah sighed. "She's so young, too young to have such responsibilities heaped on her shoulders." She seemed to reflect on something before continuing. "I'm not exactly sure this world needs saving if it has to sacrifice its children to do it." She frowned down at the tiled floor.  
  
"You had a son, didn't you?" Heero asked quietly.   
  
Hannah started and stared at him with wide eyes. "Where did you…?"   
  
"Lady Une told me about your past." He replied.   
  
"Ah. I should have known. She's always been so efficient." Hannah sighed and crossed her arms. "And yes, I did have a son. He died a long time ago, I'm afraid." She eyed Heero speculatively. "He would have been about your age, now, I think."   
  
They stood in silence for a while, the beeping of the monitors the only noise. Finally, she cleared her throat. "Well, I have a meeting in ten minutes with my medical staff, so I'll leave you. I think she can hear us and I know she responds to touch, so talk to her. I'm sure she'd like to hear your voice." She gave Heero a motherly pat on the arm and left, pulling the curtains closed behind her to give him privacy.   
  
He looked back down at Relena and gingerly took her right hand in his, irrationally afraid that he would pull out or disturb the tubes that seemed to keep her alive. He started when he felt her hand gently pressure his. He looked at her, but her eyes were still closed. He whispered her name and got no reaction. Perhaps it had been his imagination.   
  
Without releasing her hand, he reached behind him and pulled up the lone chair in the room. He sat on the hard, unforgiving plastic and stared at her for a long time in silence.   
Finally, he worked up the courage to say something. "I've thought about your offer." He murmured, rubbing his thumb along her hand. "Maybe I was too quick to answer before. If you still want me to, I wouldn't mind working with you. It seems that your security team is not as good as I thought." He leaned forward and rested his forehead against the cold metal bars of her bed. "Wake up soon, Relena." He whispered. 


	6. Chapter 5-Curiosity Killed The Cat

Duo hastily exited the engine room, barely escaping with his dignity intact. Despite her earlier complaints that he was too young for her, Ellen had seemed determined to corner him. "Scary woman." He muttered, thanking whatever powers above that Hilde was far away on L2. She wasn't the jealous type, but, if she had an inkling of what Duo had just escaped, he wasn't sure that even the best doctors could put him back together again.   
  
He was too busy thanking the celestial deities to notice where he was going and as a result, he slammed right into someone.   
  
They both hit the floor with a thud and pained exclamations. Duo worked on catching his breath before looking to see who he had collided with. Hannah sat on the floor near him, rubbing her chest where he had hit her.   
  
With a gasp, he jumped to his feet and uttered as many different apologies as he could think of. He quickly offered his hand and hauled her to her feet.   
  
"It's all right, don't worry about it!" She exclaimed, waving her hands. "Honestly, Jack, you didn't hurt me…" She smiled slightly and began to walk away.   
  
"What did you call me?" He asked her, his eyes wide.   
  
"Duo." She turned and regarded him quizzically.   
  
"No, you didn't. You called me Jack." He said.   
  
Her face paled ever so slightly. "I did? Well, I didn't mean to, you're obviously Duo." She said, avoiding his stare.   
  
"Who's Jack?" He asked curiously.   
  
Her face went from white to pink. "Don't worry about it, Duo. It was just a slip of the tongue." Without further comment, she whirled on her heel and marched down the hall.   
  
Duo watched her leave with an uneasy feeling in his gut. He didn't know exactly why, but she seemed so…, he scratched his head and tried to come up with a way to describe it. "Familiar." He whispered. He had felt it since seeing her on the view screen in Lady Une's office. He frowned and picked on this feeling in his mind. Why did she seem so familiar? And why did she seem to avoid him? Duo shoved his hands in his pockets and began walking towards his room. It bothered him, this not knowing, and if Duo Maxwell was anything, he was a man of action. He would find out. Curiosity killed the cat, Hilde would say. Duo smirked. "But satisfaction brought it back." He whispered and turned around to find Hannah's room.   
  
It didn't take him long to find it. Just as he rounded a bend, a door whooshed open and Hannah rushed out, her arms full of papers. He ducked into a nearby alcove and watched. Another woman, one that Duo didn't know, stood by the door, obviously waiting for the doctor.   
  
"Hurry up, Doc. They're waiting." She said, pointing to her watch.   
  
Hannah made a face at her and shoved some of the papers into the woman's arms. "Don't nag me, Pai. They can't start the meeting without us."   
  
The woman huffed and the two walked briskly down the hall in the opposite direction. Duo grinned and cracked his knuckles. It was almost too easy.   
  
He waited a few minutes and then quickly made his way to the door. There didn't seem to be any kind of locks or security system. With a final glance in both directions to make sure no one was coming, he pushed the red button and slipped inside.   
  
It was pitch black in the room and he had a few moments of groping blindly along the wall until he found the light switch. Harsh lights flooded the room. He looked around, appraisingly. It was Spartan in its décor. A single bed was pushed against the far wall, the sheets and blankets tangled up in the center. A pair of pants was flung carelessly over the only chair in the room, which sat in front of a small metal desk. The only other furniture in the room was a battered metal dresser. A mirror hung over the bureau in a dark wooden frame. There were pictures taped onto the mirror and Duo found himself drawn to them.   
  
The first one was obviously of the crew of the Ryouzai. He recognized Hannah, Mike, Ellen, Eric and the woman from earlier named Pai. There were several others, as well. They sat around a large wooden table in what was clearly a bar. Some of the people had gathered around Hannah and Mike so that their backs wouldn't be in the shot. Everyone was smiling and holding glasses of beer and other liquor. He wondered what they were celebrating. His sharp eyes picked up the imprint of writing on the picture. Carefully, he peeled it off the mirror and flipped it over. Written in a slightly illegible scrawl was: 'My birthday on L1. Charlie's. 6/20/196-Ask Mike what happened.'  
  
Duo grinned and stuck the picture back onto the glass. He turned his attention to the next photo, which was obviously older. A woman with a slight resemblance to Hannah smiled haughtily into the camera. Her mahogany colored hair was done in an elaborate up-do and she wore what looked like a very expensive emerald green silk evening gown. Diamonds glinted coldly on her throat and in her ears. Standing beside her in an equally expensive looking gown was a teenage Hannah. She looked fifteen or sixteen at the most. Her gown was white silk and pearls decorated her throat and were wound into her hair.  
The two stood next to each other, the older woman had one pale, slim hand touching Hannah's right arm.   
Duo reasoned that this photo probably had something written on the back, so he once again skinned the photograph carefully off the mirror. On the back, written in the same handwriting as the bar picture was: 'Mom and me, Officer's Ball. Presidential Palace, Earth 12/23/175'   
  
He flipped the photo over again and studied the younger version of Hannah. She was smiling, but the smile didn't reach her eyes. He noticed that part of a man's military uniform was visible next to Hannah and that a man's hand rested on her left arm. He looked at the edge of the photo and realized that it had been torn. He wondered who the man had been. Maybe her father? He shook his head. She was obviously the daughter of someone important, how did she end up on the Ryouzai, engaging in what were probably illegal activities?   
  
He shrugged and stuck the photo back, his eyes already trailing to the next one. His mouth went dry as he stared at it. It took him a moment before he could reach a slightly shaky hand to the mirror to peel it off. It was straight forward enough, a happy young family standing in a park of some sort. Hannah was smiling broadly into the camera and this time, the smile reached her eyes. Her dark brown hair was loose and some of it seemed to be blown by an invisible wind. She was wearing a red t-shirt and white shorts. Nestled against her hip was a small child, no older than a year. The toddler squinted into the camera and gave a gap toothed smile. His overalls were smeared with dirt, as was his face. One pudgy hand gripped Hannah, the other held a ratty looking bear. But it was neither of them that had Duo so shocked. It was the man standing next to them, with one arm wrapped around Hannah's waist. Clad in blue jeans and a black t-shirt, he had short messy dark brown hair and laughing blue eyes. His mouth was stretched into a large grin and his free hand was stretched forward, giving a victory salute. He looked exactly like Duo. Swallowing, he flipped the photo over. 'Jack, baby J and me. Rare day out. L2, 5/14/181', was scrawled on the back.   
  
Jack. She had called him Jack and now he could see why. He placed the photo back in its original position and looked at the last one stuck to the mirror. It was a wedding photo, or at least it appeared to be at first glance. Duo peered closer and frowned. Hannah was wearing a white lab coat splattered with blood, clutching what appeared to be hastily assembled paper flowers. Standing next to her in a black, slightly tattered jumpsuit with a cast on his arm and a black eye, was Jack. Both were smiling, but appeared tired. He didn't have to turn this photo over. Written on the bottom was a single line: 'Wedding Day. 1/15/179'.   
  
He stared at this odd assemblage of photos, his eyes returning again and again to the face of the man who could be a dead ringer for him. Jack. He had solved that mystery, but another reared its head. Where were Jack and the baby? Why did he still feel as though there was more to discover?   
  
"Find anything interesting?" A voice asked him. He jumped and turned around, wondering how long she had been standing there.   
  
Hannah leaned against the wall with her arms crossed, one eyebrow raised. "Well?"   
  
Duo cleared his throat. "I know this looks bad…" He began.   
  
She laughed. "Luckily, I keep the jewels in the safe." She said her voice heavy with sarcasm.   
  
"I didn't come here to steal anything…" He stuttered, turning red.   
  
"Of course not. Did Lady Une send you? Was she not satisfied with Shiro's explanation?" Hannah pushed off the wall and walked towards him, her face was impassive, but her eyes were angry. "I don't know why she thinks she can't trust me, actually, I do know why. But if I wanted Relena dead, she would have died on the operating table."   
  
Duo raised his hands. "I don't know what you're talking about. I was just…"   
  
"She probably hand picked you for the job. Find a guy who looks like Jack to unhinge me, was that the plan? Then, when I've decided that I'm crazy, go through my room and find out how I'm helping dear old Lucas." She spat.   
  
Duo shook his head, honestly confused and not a little frightened by her anger.   
  
"Well, tell that venal bitch that I haven't spoken to my brother since my trial, which was nearly fifteen years ago." She was now close enough to Duo to hit him, and she looked ready to. Her fists were clenched at her sides.   
  
He waved his hands. "I'm not here because of Lady Une, I swear." He said, meeting her eyes.   
  
She arched her eyebrow again. "Then why are you here?"   
  
He blushed and looked down at his toes. "I wanted to know why you seemed spooked whenever you looked at me…and why you called me Jack." He looked back up at her. She seemed genuinely surprised.   
  
"What?" She leaned back slightly and stared at him.   
  
"I don't know why. Normally, I don't care what people think of me, but for some reason, I wanted to know…" He trailed off and looked in the direction of the photographs. "I look just like him. It's eerie, really."   
  
She followed his eyes and nodded. "Very eerie." She replied softly.   
  
"What happened to him?" Duo asked carefully.   
  
She didn't answer, but walked up to the bureau and plucked the family photo from the mirror and stared at it for a moment. "He died. Fifteen years ago. He was executed by the Alliance for sabotage." She said sadly.   
  
"And the baby?" He crossed his fingers, hoping not to push his luck.   
  
"I don't know." She replied. "I suppose he's dead, although I don't really want to believe it. But the orphanage on L2 where they put him while I was in prison was blown up and I've never found a trace of him…" She put the picture down on the bureau and looked up at Duo. He could see the anguish in her eyes and felt sad for her, he wanted to leave her alone, but he had to find out more, had to see if he could answer the question that had popped into his head when he first saw that picture of Jack.   
  
"Your son…he would be…how old?"   
  
"17." She said dully.   
  
Duo frowned. "That's the same age as me." He said carefully, a strange feeling in the pit of his stomach. "And I spent a few years in an orphanage on L2."  
  
She stared at him for a long moment before opening her mouth to respond.   
  
"Doc! There's a couple of ships heading for us and they're not responding to our hails!" Mike's voice boomed over the intercom, making them both jump.   
  
"I'll be right there!" Hannah replied and turned to leave. "We'll finish this discussion later." She said over her shoulder to Duo. 


	7. Chapter 6 Battle Royale

Waiting For You, Chapter 6  
  
Battle Royale  
  
A/N: Thanks to those who have reviewed so far!  
  
Rated R for Language  
  
Gundam Wing AC is property of Sotsu Agency, Sunrise, and TV Asahi. You'll notice my name isn't part of that list.  
  
Hannah rushed to the bridge, pushing all thoughts of Duo and Jack and the strange feeling she was getting out of her mind. She began barking orders to Mike and Eric the minute she walked onto the bridge.  
  
"Hail them again, Mike. Eric, you try and get a fix on their identity, or at the very least, their fighting capacity." She sat down in her battered captain's chair and opened a line to the infirmary.  
  
"Heero, are you still there?" She asked. There was a pause and then, "Yes."  
  
"Good. Listen, we may have a problem here. I need you to get your ship off of mine. We can't maneuver with it connected."  
  
"I'm going to the ship now." Heero replied.  
  
"Mike, is the channel open?"  
  
"Yeah, try it, Doc."  
  
"This is Hannah Ryan, captain of the Ryouzai requesting identification." She said, drumming her fingers on the armrest.  
  
There was nothing but silence from the other end.  
  
"If you don't identify yourself, then we will have to assume that your intentions are hostile." Hannah said tensely.  
  
No response. Mike terminated the connection with a scowl.  
  
"Hannah, I have a fix on the make of the ships. They are first class AM-17 military cruisers, fully equipped for battle."  
  
"Shit. Eric, what's our weapons situation like?" Hannah felt a familiar knot of fear growing in her belly.  
  
"Bad. We have a couple hundred rounds of ammunition and three missiles."  
  
She cursed again. "Mike, get a message to Shiro and tell him what's going on."  
  
Hannah pressed another button and opened a connection to the engine room. "Ellen, it looks like we're going to be under attack."  
  
She heard Ellen issue a long stream of expletives. "Doc, I'm not sure we can handle it. I've made most of the repairs, but they're just temporary patches until I can get better parts. I don't think we can manage a fight without blowing something major."  
  
"There's nothing I can do about that, Ellen, just keep everything running as smoothly as you can."  
  
"Right."  
  
"Doc, the Preventer has detached itself from the ship." Mike said.  
  
"Good."  
  
Heero's voice hailed them. "I see three ships, all looked prepped and ready for a fight. But they don't look like official military crafts, more like old overhauled ones."  
  
Hannah rubbed her forehead. "Thanks, Heero. We're going to do what we can here, but we could really use your help."  
  
"No problem."  
  
"What do we do now, Doc?" Mike asked tensely.  
  
"We wait." She slouched down in her chair and frowned.  
  
"Is there anything I can do?" A voice asked from the doorway. Hannah sat up and turned to see Duo standing there.  
  
"What are you good at?" She asked.  
  
"Everything." He gave her a cocky grin that she weakly returned.  
  
"Go down to the engine room and see if Ellen needs help." Hannah said and turned back to the screen, where three ships hovered.  
  
"Why are they just sitting there?" Eric asked anxiously.  
  
"Probably waiting for orders." Hannah replied.  
  
Heero's face popped up on the view screen. "I think they're powering up for an attack." He said, his expression neutral.  
  
"Mike, power up the guns." Hannah said, her fingers digging into the battered plush of her chair.  
  
"But Doc, we barely have a hundred rounds in each of them." Mike protested.  
  
"Do they know that? Half the game is psychological." She replied, cutting him off.  
  
Mike pressed his lips together to stop his retort and flipped a series of switches on the console in front of him.  
  
Hannah opened a channel to the entire ship. "Attention all crew, the Ryouzai is under attack. All medical personnel, prepare to care for any wounded. Fire crews, get to your stations. Everyone else, if you've got a god, start praying to it."  
  
"Doc, they're powering up the big guns." Mike said, his face draining of color. The intercom buzzed and he shot Hannah a puzzled look. "They're hailing us." He said.  
  
"Put them on." Hannah replied uneasily.  
  
"Attention Ryouzai." A voice boomed over the intercom.  
  
"We serve a higher power, one that has an interest in restoring the old world order. To do that, we need the young woman you are currently hosting on your ship. If you give her up, no harm will come to you. If not, well, I think you can perhaps guess our intentions." No face flickered on the screen to match the voice.  
  
Hannah frowned and bit her lip, drawing blood.  
  
"I'm afraid I can't do that." She said, keeping her voice even.  
  
"Are you sure? One life, for dozens?" The voice sneered.  
  
"Well, when you put it like that." Hannah replied, "the answer is still no."  
  
"Then we have no choice but to kill her and you."  
  
"How clichéd." Hannah replied drolly.  
  
She opened a line to the engine room. "We're about to put a lot of stress on this baby, can she handle it?"  
  
"No." Ellen replied desperately.  
  
"Right." Hannah sighed.  
  
"Doc, they're firing at us!" Mike yelled.  
  
"Shit! Eric, get us the fuck out of here!" Hannah barked.  
  
Eric hit a series of buttons in rapid succession and then yanked hard on the steering column, sweat beading on his brow.  
  
The Ryouzai made a horrible noise and lurched sickly to the left. Hannah gripped the arm rests of her chair and closed her eyes. The ship lurched again and then began moving in a smoother motion away from the missiles, which skimmed harmlessly out into space. Hannah opened her eyes and released a breath she hadn't realized she'd been holding.  
  
"They're not going to miss twice." She said brusquely. "Mike, fire on the leader." She opened a channel to Heero. "Heero, we're going to focus on the head ship, you do what you can with the rest." The young man nodded and cut the connection.  
  
Explosions lit up the view screen as Mike's missiles hit their mark. The lead ship was severely damaged, but still managed to get off a few more shots. Eric dodged one, but the two others slammed into the ship. Everyone on the bridge was rattled and only Hannah managed to stay in her seat by virtue of her death grip on the armrests.  
  
"Damage report!" Hannah barked.  
  
Mike picked himself off the ground and read off the grim statistics to Hannah. "The cargo bay's been breached, the emergency doors are cutting it off from the rest of the ship. We've lost propulsion and there are fires on levels one and two. Damage is being reported on all levels. One is the hardest hit."  
  
Hannah opened up the all-ship channel. "Attention! The cargo bay has been breached. There are fires on levels one and two. Emergency fire crews scramble immediately." She flipped another switch and called Ellen. "What's the status?" She asked anxiously.  
  
"We've blown something, I can't tell what it is. Duo's working on restoring propulsion Power to engines four and five has been cut. I'm doing what I can." Ellen yelled into the communicator to be heard over the static and roar of the remaining engines.  
  
"Doc! Ship number three is heading our way!" Mike bellowed.  
  
"Do we have any ammunition left?" Hannah asked, hoping for a positive answer.  
  
"No, we fired everything at the first ship." Mike replied, sounding somewhat desperate.  
  
"Eric? Can we get out of here?" Hannah turned her attention to the navigator.  
  
"Not without propulsion. And even if we had it, we'd put too much stress on the remaining engines and blow them." Eric ran a shaking hand through his sweaty hair.  
  
Hannah slumped in her seat.  
  
"Doc, they're powering up their guns." Mike said, his voice on the edge of panic.  
  
The three people on the bridge watched in horror as the third ship fired several missiles at them. They were helpless.  
  
Hannah closed her eyes, sweat beading on her forehead, praying to a god she had sworn off years earlier.  
  
Several explosions lit up the screen like a Christmas tree. Hannah cracked open an eye and her jaw dropped in shock as she watched the enemy ship explode.  
  
"What the hell just happened? Did we fire?" She asked, looking at Mike and Eric, who were both looking at her with dazed expressions.  
  
"Ryouzai, this is Preventer 2, I think we made it just in time." Wufei Chang's voice crackled over the intercom.  
  
Two different faces popped up on the screen. On the left, Heero Yuy mopped sweat off his brow. On the right, Wufei Chang smirked into the camera.  
  
"I've taken care of ship two. What's the damage report?" Heero asked.  
  
"Two engines are shot, propulsion is gone, the cargo bay's been breached and there are fires all over the ship." Hannah replied, still not quite believing her luck.  
  
"Hmm." Wufei tapped his chin. "Maybe we could have gotten here sooner." He winced and his head bobbed forward as someone dealt him a vicious blow from behind.  
  
"Ow! You crazy woman! What the hell was that for?" He turned around and snarled at his companion, ending the communication.  
  
"Can you land with the ship in that condition?" Heero asked, not the least bit surprised or bothered by the outburst.  
  
Hannah blinked a few times before she answered. "Probably not. With the cargo bay exposed, we'd go up like a Roman candle." She mused. "We'll have to do the repairs in space. But first, I'd like to get the hell out of here. I doubt that those ships were alone."  
  
Heero nodded. "I'll dock the ship and see where I can be of assistance." He said and cut the connection.  
  
Hannah sighed. "Mike, I'm going down to the engine room. Heero's going to re-dock, so go to the port and handle our end of it. When he gets on board, send him to the engine room. Eric, keep your eyes peeled for anything suspicious. The second we get power back, get us the fuck out of here. Make sure the other ship knows before you do anything, they're our guard. And send another message to Shiro." She rose from her seat and left the room in a hurry.  
  
Chaos reigned throughout the ship. Crew members clad in firefighter's gear ran about, putting out fires while others immediately began repairing. The medical crew was busy treating the wounded, some of who looked very badly injured.  
  
Hannah had no time to stop; she waved off the medical team members who approached her, asking for help. "I have to get down to the engine room, do what you can to stabilize them and take the worst cases to the infirmary. As soon as I talk to Ellen, I'll go down there." She ordered over her shoulder as she rushed by.  
  
In the engine room, Ellen and Duo were covered with sweat, soot and cuts. Duo was inside a wall panel, rerouting several necessary connections while Ellen struggled with engines four and five.  
  
"Ellen, I hate to put more pressure on you." Hannah began.  
  
Ellen looked up from where she was re-soldering a wire and glared at her captain. "But?" She asked irritably.  
  
"But we need to get out of here and soon. There's no telling when their reinforcements will arrive." Hannah replied anxiously.  
  
Ellen sighed and nodded. "We're working as fast as we can." She said and gestured at where Duo's legs disappeared into the wall.  
  
"I know.I know. Listen, Heero's on his way down, he'll help you. I've got to get back and help the med crew with the injured. Get this thing running as soon as possible, Ellen. We won't get a second chance." She patted her engineer on the shoulder and ran out the door to the infirmary, where she knew she had a long night ahead of her. 


	8. Chapter 7Blood Ties

Rated R for language  
  
Waiting For You, Chapter Seven  
  
Blood Ties  
  
  
  
Hannah slid the last body into the ship's morgue freezer and slammed the cold metal door as hard as she could, which wasn't too hard considering how tired she was.   
  
"What's the final count?" Pai, her head nurse asked, wearily.   
  
"Four dead. Two in critical condition. We lost Stewart and Aki when the cargo bay blew, the other two were electrocuted." Hannah slumped down in the nearest chair and ran a hand over her face.   
  
"We've never lost this many in one mission, Pai." Hannah murmured, her eyes trained on the bloodied floor. "I don't know how I'm going to break it to the crew."   
  
"You'll just have to tell them." Pai said, placing a reassuring hand on Hannah's shoulder. "There's no way to sugar coat this."   
  
"I know…" Hannah sighed and rubbed at her tired eyes.   
  
"How's Relena doing?" She asked after a moment.   
  
Pai leaned back on the wall next to Hannah's chair and crossed her arms. "She slept through the entire thing." She replied.   
  
Hannah tapped her fingers on the metal desk in front of her and frowned. "That girl…trouble follows her wherever she goes."   
  
"That's because of what she represents." A droll voice said.   
  
Hannah turned and raised an eyebrow at Duo, who lounged in the doorway.   
"And what would that be?" She asked.   
  
"The end of an era." Duo pushed himself away from the door and walked towards the two women. "If you're not too tired, I'd like to finish our conversation." He said, plopping himself down on the desk.   
  
Hannah nodded and ran a hand through her messy, sweaty hair. "Pai, would you excuse us?" She asked wearily.   
  
Pai looked from Hannah to Duo with a curious expression before nodding and ducking out of the infirmary.   
  
"I think you know where our conversation was going." Duo said, his hands playing with the end of his braid.   
  
"Refresh my memory." Hannah replied.   
  
"We were just about to remark on all the strange coincidences in our pasts." He ticked them off on his fingers. "My being an orphan on L2 whose orphanage was blown up, your son being an orphan on L2 whose orphanage was blown up, the fact that I look just like your husband, who happened to be the father of your child. The fact that I am 17, the same age your son would be." He raised an eyebrow. "Need I continue?"   
  
Hannah shook her head, a slightly pained expression on her face. "Duo…it would be wonderful if it was true, but I've spent so many years searching and all the evidence I've ever uncovered says that my son is dead." She leaned forward in her chair and braced her elbows on the cold metal of the desk, her hands folding together to create a cradle for her chin. "I don't think I could survive another disappointment."   
  
They were both silent for a moment and then Duo grinned widely. "Hey, aren't you a doctor?" He asked, tapping her on the forehead.   
  
She nodded, shooting him a puzzled look while swatting his hand away.   
  
"Then you'd know…there's got to be a test or something, you know, like a DNA test…that would prove once and for all if we were related." He bounced off the desk and stood in front of her with ill concealed excitement.   
  
"We don't have the equipment or facilities for that." Hannah replied, feeling slightly guilty as she watched his grin falter.   
  
"Oh."   
  
She leaned back in her chair and eyed him. He really did bear an extraordinary likeness to Jack. And if he was her son…it would be an answer to prayers that she had long ago given up on. She worried her lower lip with her teeth as she came to a decision.   
"Give me your finger." She said brusquely, extending one hand while the other reached into her desk for something.   
  
"Huh?" Duo stared at her.   
  
"Give me your finger." She repeated.   
  
He extended his hand towards hers, eyeing her suspiciously. He barely had time to contemplate the needle in her grasp before she stabbed his poor finger with it. He yelped and tried to back away, but she held his hand fast. A droplet of blood bubbled from the wound and without saying a word; she blotted the blood with a cotton swab and then performed the same procedure on herself.   
  
He watched as she stood and took the two bloody swabs to another table that held a range of medical equipment he couldn't even begin to identify.   
  
"I wasn't lying when I said that we didn't have the equipment to perform a DNA test." She said, her back to him as she began pouring a clear liquid into two small tubes. She then took the swabs and dropped one in each tube. The containers then went into what looked like an amusement park ride he had once been on. A centrifuge.  
  
She interrupted his musing as she continued. "But we do have some machines that are equipped with programs that will perform a basic series of tests. If anything in our blood matches, it will let us know." She tapped a series of commands into the computer and pushed a button that sent the machines into motion.   
  
He quashed the urge to raise his hand when he asked the next question. "And any matches are significant?"   
  
"The type of matches the computer has been asked to detect will be." She said, turning to give him a half smile. "I asked it to identify anything that would indicate a blood relation."  
  
"So…how long 'til we know?" Duo asked nervously.   
  
"Five minutes." She said, glancing back at the computer screen. "Maybe more."   
  
"Oh." He leaned back on his heels. "So…"  
  
She regarded him with some amusement. "So?"  
  
"What will we do if the results come out positive? I mean…this is too weird. I've pretty much spent my life accepting the fact that I'd never know who I really was or where I came from…" He scratched his head, and looked up at the ceiling. "If you are…my mom…then everything will change. You know?" He finally dragged his gaze down to her face to check her reaction.   
  
"I know." She said softly. "And I understand. I've been mourning my son and husband for many years now…"She bit her lower lip in a now familiar gesture. "I don't know what to do, either. If the results do come out positive, then I guess we'll have to play it by ear." She shrugged. "I'm very out of practice with the whole mom thing. And the stuff I do remember…well…you're too old now for diapers."   
  
Duo laughed. "I'd like to think so; my girlfriend might disagree, though."   
  
Hannah looked at him curiously. "Girlfriend?" She had to fight the small smile forming on her lips at his faint blush.   
  
"Yeah, her name's Hilde." He looked at the floor. "She's on L2, running our salvage yard."   
  
"Your salvage yard? I thought you worked for the Preventers?" Hannah was slightly confused.  
  
"Well…I sorta work on an 'as needed basis', you know? They call me up when they need me." Duo explained.   
  
"Oh. And dare I ask how you came to be a part-time employee of Lady Une's?"   
  
"Well…I used to be a Gundam pilot…but when the war ended and the colonies didn't need us anymore…" Duo looked up at Hannah and his voice trailed off. Her face was pale and drawn. "What's wrong?" He asked.   
  
"You were a Gundam pilot?" She whispered.   
  
He nodded.   
  
"How old were you?"   
  
"I was recruited when I was 12, but I didn't start fighting 'til I was 15." He replied.   
  
"Jesus Christ!" Hannah leaned back against the counter. "12? You were recruited and trained to kill when you were 12?" Her voice was tinged with disbelief and anger.   
  
"It's not that bad…I mean, Heero was trained practically since birth…" Duo hoped to comfort her, but swiftly realized that his words were only making things worse.   
  
"Heero was a pilot, too? Are you saying that all 5 of the Gundam pilots were kids?"   
  
"Well…yeah, I guess we were." Duo was slightly confused by her reaction. Why was she so upset?  
  
She shook her head and leveled him with a fierce gaze. "The thought that you and those other boys were forced to go out there…it makes me sick. We should never have to put such a burden on our children."   
  
Duo frowned. "We all volunteered." He said, seriously.   
  
She shook her head. "You shouldn't have had to, not yet."   
  
Duo crossed his arms. "What about you? From those pictures in your room, I gather you weren't always the freedom fighter." He said with a raised eyebrow. "In fact, that one picture of you and your mom made it appear that you were pretty well off. How does a debutante become a rebel?"   
  
Hannah's eyes narrowed slightly. "I was never a debutante." She replied irritably. "When all the rest of those silly bitches I grew up with were learning how to find a rich husband, I was learning how to amputate limbs and pilot military aircraft."   
  
"You were in the army?" Now it was Duo's turn to be surprised.   
  
"How the hell do you think I learned how to command a ship? Of course I was. I joined the Alliance military when I was 12 as a pre-med cadet. I was trained to be a field physician." She drew herself up slightly. "I graduated first in my class with the rank of Lieutenant Colonel and a medical degree."  
  
"How the hell did you end up here?" Duo was fascinated.   
  
Hannah laughed. "I met a man who changed my mind." She replied.   
  
"Jack?"   
  
"Yup. James Patrick Thomas, but everyone called him Jack. He was an explosives expert from L2. He had been shot during one of his little missions and the Alliance was treating him in the prison wing of their military hospital until he was well enough to stand trial." She stuck her hands in her coat pockets and rocked on her heels.   
"I was in charge of the floor he was placed on and we got to be friends. He was a very engaging man…funny and sarcastic." She smiled. "He was always making me laugh."   
  
"And you fell in love with him?"   
  
She shook her head. "Not then, later. He was discharged after two months and declared fit for trial. He was being transported to prison when he escaped." She brushed again at the stray lock of hair on her face. "He came and found me and asked if I wanted to put my money where my mouth was. He had twenty minutes to get on a transport out of there and he asked me to come with him, so I did."   
  
"You just left everything behind?"   
  
"It was surprisingly easy. I wasn't happy, I guess I never was. My father had always dictated the direction my life was supposed to take and I didn't want to live like that anymore. Jack gave me the opportunity to live my life according to my own rules." She shrugged and smiled faintly.   
  
Duo scratched his head. "In that picture of you and your mom…there was someone else in it, right? I saw a hand…"   
  
"That was my father." She said replied darkly. "The General." She closed her eyes and seemed to reflect on something. "You know, he made us…me and my brother…he made us call him sir. We never called him dad or daddy." She snorted. "Even my mom called him sir."   
  
"Sounds real warm and fuzzy." Duo replied with a laugh.   
  
"A regular teddy bear." She chuckled.   
  
"So…he was a general?" Duo was curious about his potential family.   
  
Hannah nodded. "General Marcus Ryan." She said.   
  
"Holy shit. THE General Ryan? The bane of the colonies?" Duo was incredulous. He had heard of General Ryan. Who on the colonies hadn't? The man was infamous for his role in the oppression of the space settlements. "He was your father?"   
  
Hannah smiled. "So, you've heard of him?" She asked with a laugh.   
  
"Who hasn't? Man…the irony…his daughter, fighting for the colonies." He shook his head in disbelief.   
Hannah opened her mouth to respond, but was interrupted by a series of loud beeps from the computer. She paled slightly. "It's ready." She whispered.   
  
Duo swallowed nervously. "Well…this is it…" He looked like a condemned man.   
  
"Now, don't look so nervous." Hannah said with a weak smile. "It could mean nothing."  
  
"Or everything." He retorted.   
  
They walked the short distance to the computer monitor. Hannah immediately began scanning the results, her index finger tapping the down arrow when she ran out of text.   
  
"Well?" Duo hovered behind her, trying to make sense of the technical jargon on the screen but failing. "What do all those numbers mean?"  
  
She finished reading the results and was silent for a long moment. He stared at the back of her head, trying to read her reaction. "Hannah?"   
  
Her shoulders began shaking. Suddenly, she turned and wrapped him a fierce hug. "I've been looking everywhere for you." She whispered.   
  
Duo hesitated for a moment before wrapping his arms around her as well. "I take it then, that the results were positive?" He asked softly. She nodded her head and burst into tears. 


End file.
